New Court Rule Governs In-house Counsel

Lawyers who are employed as in-house counsel now will be
governed by a new court rule adopted by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Court Rule 1:27-2, which goes into effect
January 1, 2004, applies only to in-house attorneys who are not already members
of the State Bar.

Prior to the adoption of the new rule, attorneys working as
in-house counsel but not admitted to the Bar in New Jersey were subject to the
requirements of the Supreme Court's Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee
Opinion 14. They will continue to be governed by that opinion until they
receive their certificate of limited license.

Attorneys seeking limited licensure must submit several
items to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, including

A certified application for a limited license to practice law under the rule;

A certified statement that they perform legal services solely for an identified employer. They also must certify that they are members in good standing in all jurisdictions to which they have ever been admitted, or, if they cannot certify to that, they must submit full documentation on all completed or pending disciplinary proceedings;

A completed character and fitness Statement of Applicant;

A driver's license abstract from every jurisdiction from which the applicant has received a driver's license;

A credit report;

Fingerprints for a criminal record check (Fingerprinting in New Jersey will be undertaken through a scanning system approved by the New Jersey State Police);

A certification from their employer confirming their employment as a lawyer and that the employment conforms to the rule;

A certificate of good standing from every jurisdiction to which they have ever been admitted;

A verification from the appropriate disciplinary authority of each jurisdiction to which the applicant has been admitted with respect to any grievances filed or disciplinary action taken against them; and

An application fee of $750.

Attorneys who are currently employed as in-house counsel
must file a completed application no later than March 31, 2004. Lawyers who
fail to make a timely application for licensure under the rule may be referred
to the Committee on Character or the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.

Lawyers who receive a limited license under Rule 1:27-2 are
obligated to pay the same annual assessments (to support the attorney
disciplinary system, the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection, and the New
Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program) as lawyers with a plenary license.

Court Rule 1:27-2 is the result of a report filed earlier
this year by the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Bar Admissions that
recommended its promulgation as a way to better regulate the practice of
in-house counsel. In response to the report, the Supreme Court released an
administrative determination that includes the creation of the new court rule.